Quiescence
by RiddleKitty
Summary: A captured Doc Ock silently reflects on events passed.


**Disclaimer: **I own nothing from the show.

**Info: **I don't know, just a little scene that popped into my head post _Sinister Six_**. **I'm kind of hoping they get another shot, with new members. I'd like to see Vulture mostly. ;)

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**Quiescence**

Octavius growled softly, eyes narrow behind his red lenses. Spider-Man's reflection in the blast proof glass of his new S.H.I.E.L.D. issued prison cell silently taunted him. The thickness of the glass prevented Octavius from hearing the ongoing discussion, reducing words from outside to mere muffled gibberish. But really, Octavius didn't care.

Let the arrogant little bug enjoy the victory. Let him boast. Let him bathe in his own unwarranted self-importance. Spider-Man owed his win to that treacherous reptile.

After all the steps taken, all the fail-safes constructed by Octavius, Connors managed to break free of his control anyway. Worse still, Connors had somehow developed a sense of _loyalty _to Spider-Man along the way. That coupled with the Lizard's unexpected recovery of his former human intelligence had sealed the Six's fate. Octavius' fate.

Once again locked away, this time with no freedom, no mobility. Without his lab, his robots, or his mechanical limbs. Without anything. All they had left him was his OsTech suit, for obvious reasons. Here he was, tacked to the wall like an insect on a pin, forever on display for prying, judgmental eyes. If not for having grown accustomed to such treatment thanks to Norman Osborn, he would have welcomed death than submit to this degrading punishment. But he had long since learned to cope. Currently, he was apathetic.

His enemies soon moved on. Octavius watched them go without turning his head, following only with concealed eyes until the pair were out of visual range. With nothing further beyond the glass to draw his interest Octavius allowed his eyes to close and his mind to meticulously process today's failure. He would take everything apart, from beginning to end, and calculate the rest of the mistakes. From there, he would learn. And rectify.

Besides the Lizard, Octavius assessed his other selected cohorts and concluded some had been less than efficient. That fool Electro, most obviously. Yet another case of a dimwit gifted with incredible superhuman abilities. And the Rhino, a lumbering beast powerhouse with the stubborn mentality of a child. Limitless potential, but so utterly wasted without proper manipulation. It was hard enough getting them to follow directions in the first place. But they had both played out their parts well enough. Until their little _mishaps_. Electro's incessant lack of focus. Rhino's explosive temper tantrums. Both had contributed to his brilliantly constructed plan falling apart. If he ever escaped this pathetic S.H.I.E.L.D. prison—and he would eventually, one way or another—he'd find more adequate replacements for those two. Connors as well. And if he couldn't find them, he'd create them.

First there was the matter of making certain his mutagens didn't come with unexpected side effects. Side effects like Connors' disgusting self-conscious creeping through, wiping out control over the Lizard. The loss of control which had led to Octavius' eventual downfall and capture. The capture he would make Connors sorely _regret _once he broke free.

Oh yes, Curtis would pay. Perhaps he'd become the unwilling test subject of a new, more perfected mutagen. Or perhaps he would become the _victim_ of a test subject created by that perfected new mutagen. The potential possibilities were endless.

Yes, a new strain of mutagen. One which would assure he and only he had full control over those augmented by. After all, why rely on an external form of manipulation when he could control directly from within? For once, he would enjoy being the undisputed master over another living creature. And they would bend to his every whim or suffer the consequences.

Octavius caught himself smirking a bit and quickly blanked his expression. He could smile all he wanted inside, away from the ever-present S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives' cameras.

A muffled thumping vibrated through the glass and traveled to his ears. Rhino, futilely pounding away at the walls of his cell again, no doubt. The beast was free to roam about the tiny space as he pleased despite his size and strength. Kraven and Beetle had no restrictions placed on their mobility, though no one expected them to figure out a way to escape their cells. Not so for himself and Electro, who were tightly confined and immobilized. Electro's immobilization was more of a safety measure. The man _could_ easily slip out through anything electrical.

Himself, not so much. Without the use of his mechanical limbs, Octavius wasn't going anywhere, restraints or not. He didn't mind. Interestingly enough, the forced immobility and isolation gave him back the one thing which he hadn't been able to properly partake of in years—the freedom of sleep. With no more ridiculously demanding orders from Osborn to follow, current threats against his life to avoid or self-appointed heroes to battle, everything seemed suddenly and strangely serene. Octavius hadn't realized how truly tired he was after his long struggles.

And yet the humiliating defeat at the hands of the infantile Spider-Man and friends didn't seem so bad in retrospect. After all, what better way to attack an enemy than from deep within the heart of its operations? And here he was, situated cozily behind enemy lines. So many opportunities. It was just a matter of time and proper planning.

He'd have his revenge. The longer the wait, the sweeter it would be in the end. And he was a very patient man.

Octavius tried but failed to prevent another smirk from forming. Slowly but surely he succumbed to the exhaustion he'd been denying for too long, erasing the smirk from his lips.

"Soon enough, Spider-Man," Octavius said, "I'll have my revenge. Just you wait. I'll have the mask ripped from your miserable little head. Whether the head stays attached to your neck or not... is an entirely different matter."


End file.
